Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

31-0000 Healthcare Support Occupations (Major Group)

This major group comprises the following occupations: Home Health Aides ; Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants* ; Psychiatric Aides ; Occupational Therapy Assistants ; Occupational Therapy Aides ; Physical Therapist Assistants ; Physical Therapist Aides ; Massage Therapists ; Dental Assistants ; Medical Assistants ; Medical Equipment Preparers ; Medical Transcriptionists ; Pharmacy Aides ; Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers ; Healthcare Support Workers, All Other*


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this major group:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
3,954,070 0.3 % $13.16 $27,370 0.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this major group:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.50 $9.89 $12.08 $15.38 $19.14
Annual Wage (2) $17,670 $20,570 $25,140 $31,980 $39,800


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nursing Care Facilities 694,270 41.59 $12.03 $25,020
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 638,840 12.30 $14.13 $29,380
Home Health Care Services 403,330 35.83 $10.77 $22,410
Offices of Physicians 394,010 16.81 $14.75 $30,680
Community Care Facilities for the Elderly 307,650 40.60 $10.97 $22,810

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nursing Care Facilities 694,270 41.59 $12.03 $25,020
Community Care Facilities for the Elderly 307,650 40.60 $10.97 $22,810
Residential Mental Retardation, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities 220,340 38.50 $10.80 $22,460
Home Health Care Services 403,330 35.83 $10.77 $22,410
Offices of Dentists 282,210 33.77 $16.61 $34,550

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Schools and Instruction 190 0.06 $22.12 $46,020
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 590 0.22 $20.97 $43,620
Civic and Social Organizations 180 0.05 $20.74 $43,140
Other Amusement and Recreation Industries 4,000 0.38 $19.57 $40,700
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations 90 0.02 $19.24 $40,020


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 370,770 26.41 0.86 $14.92 $31,030
New York 318,340 37.77 1.23 $13.94 $29,000
Texas 289,080 28.05 0.91 $12.14 $25,260
Florida 211,070 29.51 0.96 $12.84 $26,710
Ohio 207,820 41.75 1.35 $12.07 $25,100




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rhode Island 20,440 45.33 1.47 $14.51 $30,180
Ohio 207,820 41.75 1.35 $12.07 $25,100
Maine 22,910 39.80 1.29 $12.77 $26,570
North Carolina 145,440 38.13 1.24 $11.71 $24,360
New York 318,340 37.77 1.23 $13.94 $29,000




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 7,920 25.30 0.82 $17.77 $36,960
Massachusetts 99,730 31.59 1.02 $15.67 $32,590
Connecticut 52,000 32.32 1.05 $15.60 $32,450
Washington 74,710 27.46 0.89 $15.48 $32,190
District of Columbia 11,760 18.25 0.59 $15.19 $31,590





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 198,250 39.16 1.27 $13.61 $28,300
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 102,840 26.90 0.87 $14.23 $29,590
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 100,070 27.93 0.91 $13.42 $27,920
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 67,000 36.91 1.20 $13.80 $28,700
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 60,500 23.71 0.77 $12.97 $26,970
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 48,900 28.57 0.93 $14.33 $29,800
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 48,480 28.93 0.94 $16.28 $33,860
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 45,700 22.35 0.72 $13.38 $27,840
Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 44,570 36.86 1.20 $15.41 $32,060
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 43,240 19.41 0.63 $13.35 $27,760




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Duluth, MN-WI 8,000 65.35 2.12 $12.37 $25,730
Rochester, MN 6,200 62.71 2.03 $15.71 $32,670
Goldsboro, NC 2,450 62.68 2.03 $10.00 $20,810
Ithaca, NY 2,940 60.38 1.96 $14.06 $29,240
Bay City, MI 2,030 60.38 1.96 $11.96 $24,880
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 13,030 57.99 1.88 $10.11 $21,040
Greenville, NC 4,020 55.98 1.82 $11.07 $23,020
Brownsville-Harlingen, TX 6,820 54.80 1.78 $9.68 $20,140
Punta Gorda, FL 2,120 54.24 1.76 $12.31 $25,600
Canton-Massillon, OH 8,520 53.75 1.74 $10.84 $22,550




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Fairbanks, AK 610 17.23 0.56 $18.27 $37,990
Anchorage, AK 4,780 28.44 0.92 $17.88 $37,190
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 21,500 22.41 0.73 $17.72 $36,860
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Division 27,050 28.41 0.92 $16.96 $35,280
Olympia, WA 2,260 23.86 0.77 $16.62 $34,560
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 31,030 22.66 0.74 $16.56 $34,450
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 18,940 21.61 0.70 $16.56 $34,440
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 48,480 28.93 0.94 $16.28 $33,860
Napa, CA 1,730 28.07 0.91 $16.21 $33,720
Tacoma, WA Metropolitan Division 7,690 30.15 0.98 $15.97 $33,220

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 16,790 57.48 1.86 $10.41 $21,650
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 16,690 43.82 1.42 $10.91 $22,700
Eastern Texas nonmetropolitan area 12,560 45.34 1.47 $10.35 $21,520
Other Ohio nonmetropolitan area 11,550 43.40 1.41 $11.37 $23,640
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 11,090 40.24 1.31 $12.28 $25,550

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 8,100 66.83 2.17 $11.22 $23,340
Southwest Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area 760 60.59 1.97 $14.52 $30,200
Other North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 16,790 57.48 1.86 $10.41 $21,650
Southern Texas nonmetropolitan area 4,820 56.80 1.84 $8.89 $18,480
Far Eastern North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 1,290 53.05 1.72 $12.64 $26,290

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeast Alaska nonmetropolitan area 670 19.11 0.62 $18.57 $38,630
Railbelt / Southwest Alaska nonmetropolitan area 1,690 23.54 0.76 $17.43 $36,250
North Central Colorado nonmetropolitan area 930 12.94 0.42 $16.86 $35,060
Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard nonmetropolitan area 310 22.11 0.72 $16.11 $33,510
Hawaii / Maui / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 3,570 23.49 0.76 $15.52 $32,280


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012